Who wins the Wednesday Night Wars: 6 cases for AEW
By Amelia N
3. The Cody factor
Ever since he left WWE in 2016, Cody Rhodes has been on a mission to write his own Legacy (sorry). He’s been a success story wherever he’s gone, excelling in Ring of Honor, somehow helping to make Impact relevant again briefly, and truly coming into his own during an unbelievably good spell in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
His next huge step came in 2018, when he (along with the Young Bucks) put together All In, an independent show that sold 10,000 tickets in under 30 minutes. The success of All In led Rhodes and the Young Bucks to try to form their own wrestling promotion; significant amounts of money later, AEW was formed.
Although the Young Bucks are phenomenal businessmen and absolute merchandising machines, WWE should be much more concerned with Cody Rhodes’ involvement in All Elite Wrestling. Having spent a decade within the company, Rhodes is very well versed in WWE’s machinations; should WWE seem to be making any plans to gazump AEW, Cody will be the one who rest of the AEW ‘higher ups’ look to for suggestions, predictions etc.
Furthermore, Cody’s tenure in WWE means he knows almost everyone there is to know within the company, both inside and outside the ring. Should any big names be dissatisfied with their prospects in McMahonLand (who would ever suggest such a thing?), All Elite will be the first promotion their minds cross, and in Cody Rhodes, having someone the majority of prospective talent already knows will undoubtedly prove to be a huge W for All Elite Wrestling.